The problem with the movie is that Guillermo del Toro is from the same directing school as Tim Burton, ie, they’re very good with visuals but have not a single clue how to do plots or characterization. The difference is that Burton knows he can’t do plot so he doesn’t bother trying, and he lets Johnny Depp improvise all the characterizations by himself.

Del Toro tries to do plots and characterization but they both fall so flat they nearly kill all his movies. Sure, the visuals are stunning, but the characters are so flat and lifeless and the plots so simple-minded that it just doesn’t work.

Pacific Rim has some of the best-looking action sequences ever put on film, but goddammit even that ultra-crappy Dragon Ball Evolution movie had more interesting characters and a better plot.